As the Minnesota Twins have skidded to poor finishes in each of the past three seasons, many fans have been just as frustrated -- if not more so -- with the lack of organizational direction as the losses that have piled up in August and September.

Too often there has been ambiguity about whether to buy or sell. Too often there has been reluctance to part with veteran players who weren't part of the long-term plan. Too often there has been inaction.

None of that can be said about the front office's decision-making as we head toward another disappointing finish here in 2014. The Twins made only one deal before the non-waiver deadline on July 31st, sending Sam Fuld to the A's for Tommy Milone in what might go down as one of Terry Ryan's niftier pickups, but they've been characteristically active on the trade market here in August. Over the weekend, they dealt Kevin Correia to the Dodgers, making room for Milone in the rotation. And on Monday, needing to free up a roster spot for the return of Joe Mauer, Ryan was able to send Josh Willingham to the Royals.

A couple fairly intriguing minor-league pitchers have come back in these swaps (as well as the Kendrys Morales deal), but the chief imperative there was always to open up playing time for younger guys. The deals also work out pretty well for the departing players, who head from the cellar-dwelling Twins to first-place contenders.

Neither Correia nor Willingham has ever made a postseason appearance despite a combined 23 years of experience in the majors. Both will have a good shot now.

The Twins might not be done. There are still a few relievers on the roster who could draw interest from competing teams and are likely in their final years here -- most notably Jared Burton and Brian Duensing. There are several bullpen arms in Rochester that deserve a look.

Additionally, as Mike Berardino pointed out on Tuesday, Ryan might try and find a suitor for Yohan Pino; his 1-5 record and 5.37 ERA won't wow anybody, but his solid peripherals -- in addition to his spectacular Triple-A numbers -- could stir up a bit of interest from a club needing a fifth starter or added rotation depth. The Twins have motivation to move Pino with Ricky Nolasco expected to return from his rehab stint soon.

The ongoing rebuild that has been taking place here in Minnesota has been a difficult one to endure, filled with fits and starts, injury setbacks and indecisiveness. But finally, you can really begin to feel some momentum building. The Twins might be headed toward another 90-loss finish, but pieces are beginning to fall into place.

May and Milone have arrived. Kennys Vargas is getting his feet wet while Danny Santana continues to build his case for a prominent 2015 role. Prospects are starting to be moved up more aggressively, with Byron Buxton's promotion to Double-A despite underwhelming numbers in Ft. Myers serving as the latest example.

It's hard to heap praise on a franchise that has shown little in the way of on-field progress, but the Twins have done a good job of clearing house, and will enter this offseason with relatively few holes to fill. They'll have plenty of money to address those that can't be filled by incoming youth.

"Wait until next year" might not be the most satisfying mantra to fall back on, but after a lot of treading water, it feels like we can at least feel confident in saying it now.